As electronic devices such as displays and transistors are required to be manufactured in high density and high integrated formats due to the trend of lighter and simpler electronic devices, techniques for forming fine metal patterns that may be used in electrodes or metallization are drawing interest.
Especially, of the techniques of manufacturing transparent electrodes that are essential in touch panels, a metal pattern formed by forming a fine pattern on a substrate and filling it with a metal conductive ink is very useful in terms of resistance properties. Furthermore, metal-based transparent electrodes (TCF) having improved optical characteristics and electrical characteristics due to metal nanowires or various types of metal structures coated on the substrate film are being developed.
However, an electrode surface made of such materials is not suitable to OLED or other display processes that require several tens of nano levels of surface flatness, and due to the difference of work function from organic materials formed on top of the electrode, the energy barrier may increase.
Currently, for transparent electrodes for use in touch panels and displays, oxide transparent electrodes including ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) are commercialized, but the reserves of oxide transparent electrodes is limited, and oxides lack flexibility and has resistance characteristics that are not as excellent as metal, and thus it is difficult to use oxide transparent electrodes in large scale flexible displays.
With the recent increase of needs for large scale flexible displays, it is urgently necessary to develop an electrode material having excellent resistance characteristics, flexibility, compatibility with organic materials, and surface flatness.